746: Why ADHD Feels Worse in Midlife and What Actually Helps To Feel More Regulated with Jenna Free

Energized with Dr. Mariza

Dr. Mariza Snyder

Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.8 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2026

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Is your nervous system stuck in overdrive?” In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Jenna Free, a counselor specializing in ADHD and nervous system regulation, to discuss why so many women in midlife feel overwhelmed, scattered, and exhausted despite their best efforts to stay organized. Together, they explore how the nervous system gets stuck in a chronic fight-or-flight state, the role of dysregulation in ADHD symptoms, and why traditional productivity hacks simply don’t work when your nervous system is running on empty. Jenna breaks down her approach to resetting the nervous system and explains how small, consistent changes can lead to massive improvements in mental clarity, energy, and overall well-being. This conversation offers new insights on how to break free from the cycle of rushing, crashing, and feeling burned out—and provides tangible steps to reclaim control over your brain and nervous system. JENNA FREE Jenna Free is a counselor specializing in ADHD, nervous system regulation, and mindfulness practices. She is passionate about helping women overcome the chaos of constant overwhelm and hypervigilance by teaching them how to regulate their nervous systems and achieve sustainable productivity. Jenna is the author of The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation and offers support to those struggling with ADHD and chronic stress IN THIS EPISODE How a dysregulated nervous system contributes to ADHD-like symptoms in midlife The link between survival mode (fight or flight) and chronic overwhelm Why traditional productivity hacks fail when your nervous system is stuck Practical tips to help interrupt dysregulation and shift into a more balanced state The importance of slowing down and creating space for mindful action How to reframe beliefs and thoughts to support nervous system regulation Why a regulated nervous system leads to more sustainable energy and better overall functioning QUOTES“Being in survival mode is a primal mechanism, but it’s not meant to be how we live in 2026.” “If you believe that being frantic and rushed is the way to be successful, you will never change.” “Regulation work isn’t about feeling nice—it’s about functioning better.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order https://www.mitoq.com/energized Order The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation https://www.jennafree.com/book ⁠Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution⁠⁠Jenna Free https://peri-revolution.com/ Jenna Free Website https://www.jennafree.com/ Jenna Free Instagram Jenna Free Youtube RELATED EPISODES 744: The Midlife Brain Reset: How to Protect Your Memory, Focus & Mental Sharpness Starting Now 728: Why Brain Fog Isn’t Random: The Hormone Shift Behind It 717: “I Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause 693: Tired All the Time? It Might Be Hidden Problems With Your Mitochondria with Siobhan Mitchell

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you're young, if your nervous system is going, we live in a dangerous place, in a dangerous situation, and we have to fight, flight, freeze, fawn to survive.
0:11.3	That has now formed the basis of how we view the world and how we think.
0:16.0	We know at a cellular level, when we're in survival mode, our mitochondria become more dysfunctional.
0:21.1	If we're rushing all the time, physically, mentally, impatience, same thing, even if you're
0:27.0	stuck in the car, but you're just crawling out of your skin thinking, oh my God, come on,
0:31.3	traffic. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. Welcome back to the energized with Dr. Marisa podcast.
0:37.4	I'm your host, Dr. Marisa podcast.
0:51.3	I'm your host, Dr. Marisa, and I'm here to help you rock your hormones, optimize your metabolic health, and feel energized in your body so that you can age powerfully and wake up feeling amazing in your body for many years to come.
0:53.0	Let's jump on in.
0:55.7	You know, I was talking to a woman in my practice recently who said something that I hear all of the time. She looked at me and she said, Dr. Marisa,
1:01.2	I feel like my body is working against me. I'm doing all the things, eating well, exercising,
1:07.5	but the weight won't budge. My energy is unpredictable, and the cravings, they are
1:12.5	out of control. And I thought, this is exactly why we need to be having a very different
1:18.4	conversation about metabolism in midlife, because here's the truth. This isn't about willpower
1:24.1	or over-efforting. It's about what's happening inside of your cells.
1:28.5	In paring menopause and beyond, your metabolism shifts at the mitochondrial level, your body's
1:33.2	energy engines. And when they are under stress, blood sugar gets harder to manage, energy crashes,
1:39.5	hit harder, and your body begins to store more fat. This is where we see the body composition changes.
1:46.1	And that's why I am deeply grateful for mitochondria's hormonal and metabolic control.
1:51.4	I actually have it right here because I take it all of the time. It's designed to support your
1:55.8	metabolism at the root inside of your mitochondria while helping with blood sugar balance, energy,
2:01.4	and those midlife shifts.
	...

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